Nellore district formed part of the composite Madras State until 1 October
1953. On 1 November 1956, when the states were reorganised on a linguistic
basis, this district came under Andhra Pradesh.
Nellore was also known as Vikramasimhapuri. Historically, the place
is very important. Culturally, Nellore city stands unique among the other
towns of Andhra Pradesh as it is supposed to be the place where the greatest
of the Telugu poets, Tikkana Somayaji, who translated the major part
of Mahabharata into Telugu, lived. Potti Sriramulu, Telugu patriot and
activist, who fasted to death for the formation of Andhra state within
the Indian Union was from Nellore. Nellore also has strategic commercial
importance as it lies between the cities of Vijayawada and Chennai.
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